Medicos dodge hotel quarantine

Medicos dodge hotel quarantine

A group of doctors who landed at Sydney Airport from Chile fled their hotels where they had been ordered to self-isolate, with 27 managing to board domestic flights.

In an extraordinary breach of quarantine orders, NSW Police Force confirmed tonight that they had instructed the Australian Federal Police to issue Public Health Orders to the missing medical professionals when they arrived at their destinations.

The incident occurred at 11pm on Friday night when NSW Health asked for assistance to process passengers on board two flights which had recently arrived from Santiago.

NSW Police attended to help ensure all passenger would adhere to all self-isolation requirements set out by the NSW Government under the Public Health Act 2010 (NSW).

The requirements precede the tough new quarantine orders which come in at 11.59pm tonight.

Upon arrival in to Australia, NSW Health advised the 77 medical professionals who flew in that they were required to self-isolate for 14 days at hotels in Sydney.

When the officers returned to serve the Public Health Orders, they discovered 33 doctors had left the hotel.

"Six of the 33 individuals were located at Sydney domestic airport terminal by Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers," police said.

"These individuals have now been served with Public Health Orders and are in self-isolation at a Sydney hotel, where they are required to remain for 14 days.

"The remainder are believed to have travelled to their onward interstate destinations. Contact has been made with the AFP and interstate authorities to ensure the individuals are served with the appropriate Public Health Orders upon their arrival."